§ 39. Mr. Cyril D. Townsendasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the extent of Soviet research and development into space weapons.
§ Mr. LuceI refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 29 January at columns 148–49. Soviet efforts in the field of research into space weapons, and in some cases development, are, as in all other areas of military research and development, extensive. The United States strategic defence initiative should be seen in the light of Soviet research into ballistic missile defence. The Soviet Union is alone in deploying an anti-satellite weapon and nuclear-tipped ABM missiles capable of destroying targets in space.